


Do You Notice When I'm Not Around?

by whatiwriteinshadows



Category: The Social Network (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Angst, Contemplation, Lonely Eduardo, Lonely Mark, M/M, More Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-27 19:02:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5060347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatiwriteinshadows/pseuds/whatiwriteinshadows
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Eduardo takes a day off from work in Singapore he finds his mind drifting to the West Coast... and Mark.</p><p>Written as a follow up to my previous work <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/4527498">Raindrops On A Window Pane</a> but I guess it can be read as a stand alone too. (minus the first line) :)</p><p>There is also now a Third Part If anyone is interested: <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/5376218">The Distances Between Us</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	Do You Notice When I'm Not Around?

**Author's Note:**

> As usual I own nothing and make no profit, these characters are all based on fictional representations of people as portrayed in the movie "The Social Network" and therefore in their original state belong to their respective owners.
> 
> This work is however inspired (obviously) by all of the amazing fic I have read and art I have enjoyed in this fandom of which my work is but a meager contribution. 
> 
> All the other ridiculousness however, is all me... I hope you enjoy.
> 
> This was written as a follow up to my other fic [Raindrops On A Window Pane](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4527498)
> 
> Please feel free to check it out.

_Meanwhile In Singapore........._

  
  


Eduardo shuffled around on the couch and switched off the TV set so the whole place fell silent. It was too quiet in the apartment when he wasn't working, but he supposed that was the price he paid for not making anything but business acquaintances in the last four years. Once you leave work, you're basically alone.

Thursday was his day off and he was supposed to be taking it easy (whatever that meant) but for the third time in the last twenty minutes Eduardo had found himself glancing at the his phone clock. It had just turned 5:30pm in Singapore so that meant it must be around 2:30am in California, not that he had any particular business there today, its just that he always knew what time it was in California - _because that's where Mark was._

Singapore was an interesting place but Eduardo _knew_ the West Coast, he'd spent a lot of time there once and got to know the feel of the place so it was only natural that his mind would occasionally drift from the blistering heat of a Singapore office day to the cool rain of a Palo Alto night waiting for Mark to pick him up from the airport. _Why couldn't he remember the sunshine?_ _Wasn't that the point of being in California?_

Eduardo knew he didn't do it on purpose but it still hurt that Mark didn't come and get him that night. That whole summer had been a total nightmare, spending all his time on the stupid subway looking for advertisers that didn't exist when all he wanted to do was be with Mark, not that he ever said that. _He couldn't say it._

Every time Eduardo thought about that stupid house he felt sick. Standing on that stupid porch getting soaked through, that was the exact moment he started to feel like he was finally losing his best-friend to ~~Sean Parker~~ _Facebook._

  


_“You're gonna get left behind”_

  


One minute they were pressed up against each other's bodies in a hallway trying not to get off too loudly then, before he even knew it, the shares were diluted, the depositions happened and all he had left to show for their entire relationship was a settlement cheque. It didn't matter how much he got, the whole thing just felt dirty like some Las Vegas divorce. _Not that they were a couple._ A few make-out sessions and a couple of quick hand-jobs between two half drunk people in a dorm room didn't make you a couple. _Even when they hadn't touched their beers all night._

How could it matter? Eduardo hadn't seen Mark in over a year, not since a quick glance at last year's major shareholders meeting but with nothing else to distract his mind Eduardo couldn't stop himself from wondering what Mark was doing right now. It was basically Zuckerberg programming prime time over there so more than likely if Eduardo still knew Mark anything like he used to know him, he was probably still wide awake coding because without Eduardo there, nobody would be around to make him sleep. _At least he selfishly hoped there wasn't anyone._

Eduardo sighed and checked the time on his phone again, 5:36pm – 2:36am in California. Time never usually passed this slow. Only wasting time thinking about Mark Zuckerberg made time pass this fucking slowly and it was excruciating. It wasn't usually this hard to cope. When he had a full days worth of work running through his head and another day of work ahead of him tomorrow he had something to do, that was how he functioned. Eduardo understood people, he understood business and he understood investments, that was what he was good at. The only exception to that rule was thousands of miles away and yet he was all Eduardo could think about.

He found himself scrolling through his contacts hovering over Mark's number. Why hadn't he deleted it? _He didn't want to._ Would it even still work? _Of course it would. Dustin would have told him if the number had changed, even if he swore he didn't want to know._

Then the thought crept into his mind. _What if he called him?_

  
  
  


_What if he doesn't pick up the phone?_

  
  
  


_What if he does?_

  
  
  


Eduardo froze for a minute before acting, this was totally crazy. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or the chronic overthinking but suddenly the idea, the vaguest possibility of just hearing Mark's stupid voice one more time over took him and he pressed 'Call'.

  
  
  
  
  


It rang...

  
  
  
  
  


It kept ringing...

  
  
  
  
  


It rang for what seemed like the hundredth time then the line clicked and after a few seconds of silence...

  
  
  
  
  


It went straight to goddamn voicemail.

How could Eduardo have been so stupid? What did he think was going to happen? He and Mark hadn't had a civil conversation in almost three years and Mark hadn't spoken to him about _anything_ in almost two so why would he speak now? What did Eduardo even want from him? _Honestly? He had no idea whatso..._

  
  


The unexpected sensation of the phone now buzzing in Eduardo's hand distracted him and when he saw the caller I.D he lost his train of thought entirely.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


It was Mark.

**Author's Note:**

> Any comments and constructive criticism is totally welcome, I am still really new to this and I want to improve.
> 
> Also, how do you guys feel about adding a 'Part 3'? 
> 
> I never intended on writing a series but now I feel like I wanna know what happens after the phone rings, do you? :)


End file.
